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The audience was mainly concerned by the recent Coronavirus spike in the UK and how they should be combatting such an outbreak.

Dr van Tulleken admitted on the show that he wished he could blame the Tory Government for NHS cuts.

His admission came after an audience member asked the panel how an “already strained NHS” could cope given that one in 12 NHS posts are vacant and health care professionals would need to self isolate for fourteen days if they were exposed to the virus.

The audience member revealed that he was a healthcare worker and that he was worried for the NHS because “the wards on a day-to-day basis are already at breaching point”.

The panel also included Doctor and presenter Xander van Tulleken (Image: BBC)

Dr Tulleken responded: “My first instinct is to have a massive go at the Tory Government, the last ten years of austerity, the fact that the NHS has been starved of cash and starved of staff and resources for so long.

“In fact, I think this represents such a significant burden that no matter what health service a country built, the threat of pandemic disease will always produce diseases that will overwhelm a normally functioning health service.

“Although I share all your concerns about the NHS and the state of it at the moment, our ability to provide the level of intensive are beds, which is the main issue because we don’t have a cure for coronavirus.

“If you come into hospital and you’re just poorly, you’re not going to be achieving anything more than you could at home.

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“So the vast majority of people stay at home, get a boxset, have some lemon and honey and just convalesce.

“If you’re deteriorating and just going into hospital, the decision is whether you need intensive care and things like ventilation and that is where in that five percent that kind of need that urgent care - that very extreme care - that is where the lives are saved.

“Those beds will be in a major crisis like this are not just going to be drawn from a normal pool of intensive care beds.

The Government has a four-stage plan in place for coronavirus (Image: BBC)

Hospital staff leavers and retirees could be called back to duty if stage four is activated (Image: BBC)

“But they will be drawn from the major incident plans or the major catastrophe plans that are drawn up at the moment.

“So although i share your massive concerns about the future of the NHS, in this particular case I think the immediate resources come from elsewhere.”

Mr Hancock responded and said that what the doctor suggested was “absolutely reasonable”.

The Government has a four-stage plan in place for coronavirus.

Coronavirus battle plan (Image: EXPRESS)

Stage one is “contain” which means to detect and isolate early cases as well as tracing people who have been in contact with those who have been in contact.

Stage two is “delay” which means the Government will try to “slow the spread” of the virus and “push it away from the winter season”.

Stage three is “research” which will mean constantly monitoring and researching the virus with the aim of reducing its impact.

Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley (Image: BBC)

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Stage four is “mitigate” which is where the Government will order the cancellation of all but essential care and support at hospitals with army and police on the streets concentrating only on serious crimes.

Hospital staff leavers and retirees could be called back to duty if stage four is activated.